Track 9: Humdrum - ELLiS-D

I have anxiety. I’ve had it for most of my life. Some people are surprised when they find out. They say I come across as calming, not nervous. This makes sense to me because the type of anxiety I have pushes me to go out of my way to make other people feel comfortable. I’m copying with it and it’s gotten better. I’ve learned to be comfortable taking up more space, but it’s still a work in progress.

One thing that I’ve always loved is music filled with tension because it’s what the inside of my head feels like. Some early Talking Heads is a perfect example of this, or bands like The Feelies or Devo.

Enter ELLiS-D, kind of a post-punk amalgamation of all those bands, but also absolutely they’re own thing.

I love this goddamn song so much and I can’t get enough of it. I have to tip my hat to Gabbie over at New Bands for Old Heads for introducing me to it via her Tik Tok earlier this year. Pardon the insensitive language, I’m a bit of a new music junkie and Gabbie is a great dealer. I recommend you follow her. She’s also just a fantastic human being as far as I can tell, and has great taste and a wonderful sense of humor. Give her some money via a paid subscription if you can.

I don’t know much about ELLiS-D other then the handful of songs they’ve released, but they’re right up my alley. The stabbing guitars, that snare intro, that bassline that makes you feel like you’re walking a tightrope act? Those vocals? My dude sounds like David Byrne by way of Tiny Tim at one point in the chorus and yet it still somehow works.

The mix at this point is getting a little post-punky and high strong, so it needed to be kicked into overdrive with a trapeze act between skyscrapers. Emotionally that’s where I am, anyway. “Take a moment to relax in the presence of it?” Not on your life.

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